Love Is Love
by All My Friends Are Heathens
Summary: In celebration of the recent legalization of gay marriage in all 50 states, here's a series of stories, some related, some not, that feature Disney characters in various states of sexual awakening, unconditional love, and a variety of LGBT relationships. Pairings will be quite different from what you may be used to. Nothing will be sexually explicit. Don't like? Don't read!
1. Chapter 1

"So... Tell me... Ping. What has been the biggest obstacle to overcome on this... _journey_ of yours?"

Ping blinked a few times, thinking the question over. A million different thoughts raced through his mind at once: thoughts of his family, his coaches, his peers, his career, Shang... No, Shang had never been an obstacle. He was nothing but supportive once he got over his initial shock. Ping glanced toward where Shang stood behind the camera crew in this film studio, where he was being interviewed on live television. Shang was smiling and giving him a thumbs-up. Ping briefly smiled back, thankful for the gesture. Ping needed all the help he could get right now, all the positive vibes he could soak up. At this point in his life, Ping needed, more than anything, to know he was loved and supported.

 _Shang loved me when I was Mulan, when I was pretending for all those years..._ Ping thought. _And he still loves me for who I really am._

As a woman, Mulan was one of the top female athletes in the world, practically undefeated in all her Olympic events. She'd spent her whole life training, pushing herself to her physical limit, obeying every word from her coaches and trying to prove herself to her family in China. But throughout her life, Mulan felt _different_ somehow. She didn't understand herself, so she didn't let anyone else try to, either. She began, at an early age, to bury her issues over identity and sexuality, and traveled for many years down a road of solitude and self-loathing. At some point, she started training with Shang. It started out casual, but over time, the connection between the two was undeniable. They fell fast for each other, and began dating. They were both adults, with comfortable lives, who were secure in their careers. Everything was good.

But after about a year of being together, the truth came out. Shang admitted painfully that he was a pansexual. Mulan had issues with it for awhile, battling her own troubles with sexual identity, slightly jealous that Shang knew who he was and she didn't, worried that Shang might leave her for someone more confident and less depressed. Shang felt ashamed, and unsure that Mulan would stay with him. He had no idea about her own internal struggles, and thought she was simply pushing him away because she found him revolting.

Meanwhile, even though she wasn't ready to admit it to herself, Mulan began a daily mantra in the mirror, knowing that the only way to help herself and save her relationship was to address the problem head-on. She faced her reflection with her athletic determination, feeling more physically tried than ever before as she slowly muttered to her reflection, "Hi, I'm Mulan...and I think I'm a boy..." This continued for a few months, every day picking up volume and pride as Mulan slowly gained confidence and happiness, finally recognizing her... _his_ true identity. Finally, one day, the mantra became, "Hi, I'm _Ping,_ and I _am_ a boy."

Ping finally accepted himself. And it was time for the world to as well.

The first person Ping came out to was Shang. He was surprised, to say the least, but he was quickly overcome with relief.

"Is _that_ why you've been so unhappy for the last year?" He had asked, chuckling half-heartedly.

Ping had nervously nodded in response.

"Well...everything's okay now, right?"

"I think so..." Ping played anxiously with his hair. He'd expected more of a response than this.

"Okay, well..." Shang sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Does this mean we're...over?"

Ping frowned. "What makes you say that?"

Shang looked up at him, surprised. "Well, since you're a guy, don't you want to experiment a little? See some girls, maybe?"

Ping quickly shook his head. "No. Shang, I love _you._ And I want to be with you."

Shang's eyebrows popped up. "Really?"

"Of course. I mean... If you'll stay with me..."

Shang silenced Ping's worries with a kiss.

Next came Ping's family. They weren't exactly thrilled, but they slowly accepted Ping, realizing he was still the child that had given them so many reasons to be proud. Ping's coaches, however, disowned him. He was dishonorably dropped from the Chinese Olympic teams, and lived in constant scrutiny from the public. American newspapers got ahold of the story, and Ping was offered a spot in the American Olympic league. With Shang as his official coach, Ping moved with Shang and both of their families to America very quickly. They'd lived in relative peace and normality ever since, though American media still couldn't get enough of Ping's story as he began undergoing hormone treatments to make himself more masculine and cut his hair short and spiky. Some people thought he was just trying to look more "manly", but this was just how he was comfortable looking. It helped him to fully accept himself when he started to look the way he wanted to, how he'd always pictured himself. And, he didn't need to look "manly", because he'd always felt manly. Despite pressures from colleagues and fans and, well... _everyone,_ Ping knew his feelings couldn't be wrong.

He'd come to terms with who he really was, and he was the happiest he'd ever been.

"I think..." Ping slowly began to answer the interviewer. "I think the hardest part of my transition wasn't so much being accepted by others, but being accepted by _me._ You know, once I saw through all the societal pressures and battled through the worries of what my family would think, what _anyone_ would think... It just became a lot easier once I realized that the only person really holding me back was _me._ And it became a daily struggle within myself to get comfortable with this undeniable part of me, just talking it through with myself in the mirror, and finally..." Ping grinned. "My reflection showed who I really was inside."

"And I suppose you'll be a very prominent advocate for the Trans youth still facing this struggle in America?" The interviewer questioned.

Ping nodded firmly. "Yes. I understand that the Trans community is still very misunderstood and discriminated against. And I plan to help. For now, if there is a message I can give any young Trans people watching, it's that you're not alone. What you're going through is not abnormal. And you're probably really confused, and fighting yourself daily over the truth. But you must understand that eventually, all that confusion will melt away. You just have to admit to who you really are. You have to accept yourself before you can expect anyone else to."


	2. Chapter 2

Ariel sighed dreamily at the TV. "Isn't he such an inspiration?" She asked her friends in the dorm room.

Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White, Charlotte, Giselle and Jasmine were lounging all around her, having gathered for a sleepover in the dorm that Snow and Cinderella shared. They were all doing each other's hair or painting one another's fingernails or snacking on the various junk food they'd all just run out to get from the store nearby. They'd been planning to watch a movie, but they saw Ping's broadcast on the TV guide and decided to watch that instead.

Cinderella nodded with a smile. "It's great to have someone like him representing the Trans community."

"And he was so brave to leave China the way he did, and bring his family to the States. I mean, can you imagine how nerve-wracking that must have been?" Snow trilled with wide eyes.

"But it was the right thing to do." Jasmine replied in her usual rational tone. She was kind of the group's rock. "The moment when you're discriminated against because of who you are or who you love is the perfect time to get the hell outta dodge."

Aurora giggled. "Very true. And besides, they're all much happier here."

"Isn't it so wonderful when everything just works out for the best?" Giselle asked cheerfully as Aurora finished braiding her hair.

"You said it, hon! Now pass me those mini donuts!" Charlotte replied.

Ariel had just pulled out her phone to check the time and now squealed, practically leaping up out of her seat. "Oops! Gotta go!" She wasn't staying for the sleepover tonight. She had a date. Again.

Jasmine rolled her eyes in amusement. "Who are you meeting tonight, Ariel?"

Ariel grinned as she pulled on her shoes. "Eric."

"Again?" Aurora's eyebrows popped up in surprise.

Cindy smirked. "You seem to have really taken a liking to him."

"Yeah... He's fun and sweet. But, most of all, he's cute." Ariel stuck out her tongue Miley-style.

"I still like Kida better." Giselle commented. "She's a bit more adventurous."

Ariel had been raised by a rich (and very strict) father and six older sisters who were always watching her. As you might imagine, Ariel had very little chance for adventure- or even fun- growing up. Not to mention always having to dodge paperazzi who constantly sought out any dirt on her family. So, having to grow up conforming to societal norms, trying to seem like a good role model for young girls she didn't even know, and living up to her family's ridiculous expectations left Ariel with no options for being who she really was, which she had fully realized early on in high school; Ariel was a bisexual. She'd somehow managed to keep the world from finding out, but her naturally curious and thrill-seeking spirit had earned her a few very public slip-ups and led to her being named the family screw-up. So, she was eager to get away from the spotlight and basically run away from family obligations by enrolling in a university in a far-away state. And, she'd been living happily ever since, feeling free for the first time in her life, and eager to try all the things she hadn't been allowed to growing up. Chief among these things was dating. And boy, was the dating pool sure big in college! Especially when you swung both ways.

Ariel laughed. "Yeah, Kida's awesome. I'm meeting her again tomorrow afternoon."

"For what this time?" Snow asked excitedly. "Rock climbing? Sky-diving? Bungee-jumping?!"

Ariel giggled. "Scuba diving, actually. We're spending the whole day at the beach, but she has a friend who works at the diving spot at the cove and we're scheduled for an hour under the sea before our lunch on the pier."

Jasmine scoffed. "Ariel, if you don't marry that girl, I will."

This made a few people laugh.

"I thought you decided you don't like girls, Jazz?" Charlotte asked her with a teasing poke in the leg.

It was true. Jasmine had grown up in much the same situation as Ariel, but Jasmine was an only child, so her dad was extra protective...aside from constantly trying to pawn Jasmine off on any rich boy that happened to walk by. So, Jasmine practically ran here too, after hearing that it was where Ariel had gone. (The two of them knew each other growing up, but rarely had time to hang out, so they didn't really get the chance to become friends until coming to this school. Now they actually knew each other aside from what all the magazines said.) And, in her first year at school, Jasmine decided to do some experimenting. She struggled with a "devoted" relationship with another girl two years ahead, but it eventually fell through when Jasmine had to admit she didn't really feel anything. So it was well-known that Jasmine was definitely straight as a board.

"I don't." Jasmine said. "But I do like fun. And I'm not getting any of that as a single."

Cinderella patted her leg. "In due time, sweetie."

"Yeah, I bet your Prince Charming is just around the corner." Snow smiled.

Jasmine resisted her urge to glare at both of them. Cinderella, Snow, Aurora and Giselle were all rich (but not famous-rich) girls who hadn't had to live with the same responsibilities as her and Ariel, and who had also had all been with the same guys since their days in private high schools. They were the kind of girls who only seemed to care about being "in love" and getting married. They'd probably had their weddings planned since the age of five... They were probably folding pages in dress catalogs already! But Jasmine just wasn't like that. She didn't need a man, she just kinda wanted one. And she didn't even necessarily want commitment; She just wanted adventure. She was tired of feeling trapped.

That was why she was so understanding of Ariel's dating habits and always supportive of them while most of the other girls worried about her.

"Have fun, Ariel." Jasmine told her with a sincere smile. "I mean, be safe and all. But have fun."

Ariel grinned. "I always am. And I always do! See you guys!" She grabbed her purse and headed out the door, waving over her shoulder.

They all called their good byes and wished her well as the door shut.

"Ooh, that girl is so lucky!" Charlotte groaned, stuffing another donut in her mouth.

Charlotte was another rich girl, but she was a bit different in that she was spoiled absolutely rotten and allowed to do whatever she wanted her whole life by her father. So, a lot of the teen tabloids had covered stories about her habits of shopping and partying until she dropped. To the average person, her life would have seemed perfect and adventurous in every sense. But it wasn't enough for Charlotte. She really just wanted love. She was much like the other four, a hopeless romantic who probably had honeymoon spots on hold. But she was also a bit more for people to handle than the other girls, so that made it hard for her to keep a boyfriend.

"I bet if I was as pretty and talented and cool as Ariel, I'd have boys at my door _begging_ me to date them..." Charlotte continued to grumble as she shoveled potato chips into her face.

Cinderella frowned. "Now, Lottie, don't start that again. Someday soon a boy will find you and appreciate you for exactly who you are. You just have to be patient."

"Well, come on, isn't my money enough?" Charlotte demanded childishly.

Jasmine smirked and shook her head. "Ever the Drama Queen..."


	3. A Quick Note From the Author

**Dear Readers:**

Some parts of this story will be genuine and other (very few parts) will be silly and probably seem stereotypical. For the mist part, I want this story to be honest and serious but still light-hearted. However, there will be parts of the story that aren't meant to be taken too seriously- parts that play on the stereotypical fantasies that straight/cisgender folks might have about LGBT people. My writing is pretty straightforward, so you will probably be able to tell which chapters to take seriously and which ones not to. ;)

I'm glad that the first chapter was so well-recieved, and I'm happy that there are people looking forward to more of this story. I'm very close to finishing a much longer fic that I've been updating for FOREVER, so once that's done I can regularly updated this and many others of my stories.

Thank you for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated.


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